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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24622081">Absence</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soralith/pseuds/Soralith'>Soralith</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>3rd Year/2nd Year Dynamics, Akaashi Misses Bokuto, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Basically what the 2nd years go through after the 3rd years graduate, Feelings, Fluff, Kenma misses Kuroo, M/M, Nishinoya misses Asahi, Not Beta Read, POV Akaashi Keiji, POV Kozume Kenma, POV Multiple, POV Nishinoya Yuu, Post-Graduation, Slightly ooc Akaashi, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 09:42:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,069</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24622081</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soralith/pseuds/Soralith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>3rd Years graduate. The 2nd years are left behind. </p><p>What are they feeling once their S/O and best friend leaves them behind?</p><p>Aka: Author is crying over the idea of the 2nd years being left behind bc it's really late and it's sentimental hours~</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>69</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. KuroKen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>There was an empty void in Kenma’s heart that he refused to admit, the day that Kuroo graduated. He gave Kuroo a rare smile, and congratulated him for finally making it out of high school. When Kuroo teasingly asked Kenma if he would miss him, Kenma shot him down, as was usual. Who would miss such a cheeky, irritating person like him? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two didn’t get much of a chance to hang out, over the short two week break before Kenma’s 3rd year, and Kuroo’s 1st year at college started, as Kuroo was busy trying to move into his new apartment and get ready to start his independent life, while Kenma had volleyball practice that he couldn’t skip, especially not after being named captain in Kuroo’s place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the little things, at first. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He would find himself having skipped lunch more days than not, as he no longer had a persistent raven haired middle blocker snatching his PSP out of his hands and replacing it with an onigiri, threatening to not give the game system back to the setter unless he finished the entire rice ball. And Kenma likely would’ve collapsed from a lack of nutrition at practice, had Shibayama not forced his senpai to eat a few energy bars before letting him go play. (Shibayama had been firmly ordered by Kuroo to make sure Kenma was at least getting a minimum amount of calories, and to never let him play without forcing the setter to eat an energy bar first.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Volleyball still remained decently interesting, especially since Karasuno often joined the Tokyo schools for training sessions, and Kenma regularly texted Hinata, who also reminded Kenma to eat. But there were times when he would turn and set the ball, Kuroo’s name about to leave his lips, and he would realize his mistake. Kenma would have to quickly adjust to allow someone else, usually Yamamoto or Lev, to spike and score the point. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This would leave Kenma in a grumpy mood, and he would become even more closed off, which would usually scare the new 1st years. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He and Kuroo still texted, as Kenma was a habitual night owl, and Kuroo was drowning in college assignments, and they would often chat about their respective days. Kuroo would grill Kenma on what he’d eaten that day, and if Kenma admitted to eating less than what was sufficient, he would threaten to call Kenma’s mother, though he never actually ended up following through. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, a delivery would show up at Kenma’s house the next day, often a pizza or bento set from a nearby restaurant, along with a box of energy bars that Kuroo used express mail to deliver, and Kenma would eat, grumbling at Kuroo for forcing him time away from his video games. Over the months, Kenma’s backpack was refilled from the steady supply of various energy bars that Kuroo sent, and it was these that Kenma would snack on while waiting for classes to start, much to Kuroo’s satisfaction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Nekoma made it through preliminaries, Kenma notified Kuroo through a simple text, which he soon came to regret. When his phone blew up with texts from Kuroo (and Bokuto), telling him he was being such a good captain and role model for his kouhai, Kenma had half a mind to turn his phone off for once. (The duo thankfully stopped once Kenma threatened to spike a ball directly at their most sensitive parts, the next time Kenma saw them.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And yet, all of this texting and chatting with Kuroo still wasn’t enough for Kenma. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma missed seeing Kuroo’s face at practice, missed hearing his voice next to him and listening to his hyena-like laugh (how in the world he missed such a grotesque sound was beyond him), and he even missed the way Kuroo would pluck him up by his collar to take him places, when Kenma didn’t feel like walking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lev tried to do the same once, and was met swiftly with a kick to the balls, which had Yamamoto roaring with laughter and the other players cringing, unconsciously covering their own with their hands. Kenma just tsked at Lev and stalked off, his irritation through the roof. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Only Kuroo was allowed to hold him like that. Only Kuroo.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma was given a firm reprimand by Coach Nekomata for putting their star middle blocker out of commission for a week, and Kenma was forced to apologize to him, which he did. He made sure to make it perfectly clear to Lev though, that he wasn’t allowed to touch him without his permission again, or he would do worse, much worse, to the 2nd year. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Kenma told Kuroo, Kuroo had quite literally died with laughter, his hyena-like laughter filling his headphones. He almost regretted telling Kuroo over Skype. Almost. While wiping tears from his eyes, Kuroo had commended Kenma, teasing him that it had probably been the most voluntary movement Kenma had performed outside of volleyball rallies. (Which, Kuroo wasn’t wrong.) </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Summer vacation finally rolled around, and Kenma and Kuroo made plans to meet up, having not seen each other since the very beginning of April. Kenma actually managed to drag himself out of bed at 8 am on a nonschool day, just so he could go meet Kuroo at a nearby cafe for coffee and a pastry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before (going to sleep at 3 am and then waking up at 8) meant that he was tired and grouchy, and therefore looking forward to having a sugary, caffeinated drink at the cafe. Only the potential caffeine and sugar would make the early (for him) wake up time and extra expenditure of energy worth it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he’d arrived, Kuroo had already found them a table, and had ordered for both of them. Kenma hadn’t even had to ask before Kuroo confirmed that he’d gotten Kenma a iced mocha latte with extra whipped cream and an apple tart. It made Kenma smile, one of his first real smiles since he’d said goodbye to Kuroo over two months before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just seeing Kuroo’s face, the way his hair flopped over his forehead, the cheerful smirk that caught the attention of everyone who passed by, it all helped fill the large hole that had appeared in Kenma’s heart. But, it wasn’t enough. Kenma needed more. He needed to finally rid himself of the aching feeling in his chest that had taken hold once he’d realized he wouldn’t be able to see Kuroo again for months at a time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So as they waited for their food and drinks to arrive, Kenma stood from his seat and walked over to Kuroo, climbing into his lap. Kuroo didn’t even flinch, and instead opened his arms, letting the shorter setter snuggle against his chest as he gently wrapped his large arms around Kenma. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Missed me that much, kitten?” Kenma just nodded, filling his nose with the familiar scent of Kuroo’s cologne, finally relaxing and letting out a soft sigh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry. I missed you too."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: I have waaaaaaaaay to many different fanfictions in progress~ It’s going to make my head explode eventually~ If it does, I’ll do my best to upload as much of Perception as I can, before I die~ </p><p>I honestly don’t know when this one will be updated again. I’ll try to do BokuAka and AsaNoya eventually.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. BokuAka</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Agaaashee!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What Akaashi wouldn’t give to hear Bokuto scream his name as he ran at him from down a hallway, amidst the disapproving and amused looks of both teachers and students alike, again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi knew that his social life would be rather different after the third years graduated, considering that his friend group consisted mostly of the third years on the volleyball team. He wasn’t a loner, per say, though Akaashi knew he was more introverted than many other students his age, preferring  the company of a select few. As such, Akaashi was used to being alone, and even relished in his solitude at times.</span>
</p><p><span>But Akaashi hadn’t expected himself to be </span><em><span>quite</span></em><span> this</span> <span>lonely, without one Bokuto Koutaro by his side. </span></p><p>
  <span>He missed the way Bokuto would wait for him between class periods and would seek him out during lunch, when the two would spend time together talking and hanging out (well, admittedly, it was Bokuto who would usually be the one talking, while Akaashi contentedly listened). He missed the way Bokuto would get depressed during matches, and being the only person able to help perk Bokuto up again. The mere thought that someone else might do the same on Bokuto’s new volleyball caused Akaashi’s heart to clench tightly, and an odd feeling of jealousy to bubble up within the normally indifferent teen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After school, as the sun set above him, Akaashi missed having the company of the third years (Bokuto in particular) as they all traveled home together. His trips home now were spent alone, with his earbuds tucked securely into his ears as various genres of music played in the background. Akaashi would fill the empty moments by answering the texts that Bokuto had sent throughout the day, smiling softly at the random tidbits of information Bokuto offered. If Akaashi was honest, though, it wasn’t quite the same. It wasn’t enough. He missed hearing Bokuto’s energetic voice, and the few texts he received weren’t nearly enough for the lonely teen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without Bokuto’s beaming smile, his energetic personality, just everything that had made Bokuto, Bokuto, Akaashi’s life simply wasn’t the same. Life was duller and seemed almost… meaningless, now that Bokuto had graduated. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even playing volleyball didn’t help the setter’s overall downcast mood, though the practices with his team did help soothe Akaashi’s confused emotions. Seeing his kouhai work so hard on their serves and other skills under his tutelage helped some of the ache fade from his heart, though Akaashi would be lying if he said he was content. He felt odd at times, as Akaashi was now the senpai of the volleyball team, where he’d been the kouhai before, but the distraction was welcome, as it kept the dark haired setter from brooding over his newfound loneliness. Being the new captain in Bokuto’s place also helped, as the added stress of being in charge added to his overall workload, giving him less time to sulk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though, if Akaashi was honest, having to watch over all of his team members wasn’t nearly as strenuous as watching over Bokuto had been, nor did it give him the same sort of satisfaction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It just simply wasn’t the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first few weeks after Bokuto and the third years had left had been the most difficult, as Akaashi had continued to habitually call for them to spike his sets. It was only when the ball had fallen down to the floor, or had been awkwardly spiked by one of his other teammates had Akaashi realized what he’d done. Back then, his mistakes hadn’t been as embarrassing as Akaashi had feared, as the other second and third years had also instinctively called for the graduated third years to cover and spike as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But two months down the line, his teammates had all but stopped calling for the third years, and had adjusted to the brand new line up. Only Akaashi would continue to mistakenly call the wrong names as he set the ball, with Bokuto’s name leaving his mouth most often.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Each time Akaashi would call Bokuto’s name, the new first years would quirk their heads, confused as to who their captain was calling, while the second and third years would exchange sympathetic looks with each other. They all knew just how close Akaashi and Bokuto had been, and could see the effect their separation was having on the setter.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi found himself growing more isolated and gloomy as the school year dragged on, despite his teammates’ best efforts to pull the setter out of his funk. They would offer to walk with him to the train station and invited him to spend his breaks with them, which Akaashi would agree to out of obligation. Each time he joined them, though, it only made the setter all the more aware that he was no longer at Bokuto’s side, and pulled the setter deeper into the depths of his mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To make matters worse, as the weeks passed, Bokuto’s daily texts had slowed, turning into texts every other day, then a few times a week, to now, hardly once a week. Knowing just how busy Bokuto was, especially with his new training schedule from joining a division 1 volleyball team, Akaashi kept himself from reaching out first, not wanting to bother the older setter, despite his desire to stay in contact. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi’s isolation and moodiness built up until they all came to head one summer afternoon, during a practice match between Karasuno and Fukurodani. Unfortunately for Onaga, the only other starter left from the previous year, he'd missed one too many blocks due to Hinata’s improved decoy work. While the Akaashi from years before would have simply called out a mild “don’t mind!”, occasionally accompanied by a lighthearted slap to the back, the new Akaashi’s emotions had been strung far too thin from the events over the past few months, and poor Onaga ended up bearing the brunt of Akaashi’s frustrations. With the combined effect of the summer heat, his own stress at being a captain, and the constant ache in his heart, Akaashi’s frayed emotional tether finally snapped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get better.” The words themselves hadn’t been particularly cruel, but the sharp tone Akaashi’s voice had taken had caused Onaga to take a step back, startled by the sheer coldness of Akaashi’s statement. The other players had all stared at Akaashi (Karasuno team included), until Akaashi had irritatedly thrown down the volleyball in his hands and had stalked out the gym’s doors. He pulled agitatedly at his fingers as he made his way down the hall to the club’s changing room, only to belatedly realize that the door was locked and that he couldn’t get inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi groaned loudly as he instead leaned against the wall and slid down roughly into a sitting position. Akaashi buried his face in his hands, cheeks burning as his anger and irritation quickly faded under the warmth of the summer sun. His face burned as he realized just how rude he’d been, and a bubble of shame rose within him as the shocked faces of his kouhai filled his mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Some senpai and captain he was, losing his temper like that. Coach Yamiji was surely going to be angry with him for losing control and acting like a stuck up brat, especially in front of another school. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The soft sound of footsteps greeted his ears, and Akaashi blearily raised his head, expecting either their own new manager, or perhaps Yachi-chan from Karasuno coming to get him to return to the gym. But the person who stepped into his sight was neither Fukurodani nor Karasuno’s manager, nor were they even a high school student in the first place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Bokuto-san.” Bokuto smiled softly, leaning against the railing as he gazed down at Akaashi with a mildly amused look on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, ‘kaashi! That was some- oof!” Bokuto winced as Akaashi suddenly threw himself at the former wing spiker, burying his face in Bokuto’s chest and breathing in Bokuto’s familiar scent. A soft chuckle escaped Bokuto, vibrating against Akaashi’s head as he listened to the steady thumping of Bokuto’s heart. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“ I’m sorry for not really staying in touch, Agashee. My practices got more and more intense, and I kept forgetting to reply. But I really missed you.” Akaashi felt the deep ache in his heart slowly start to fade away as he nuzzled deeper into Bokuto’s embrace, his body relaxing properly for the first time in months. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please don’t stop texting me again.” Bokuto laughed, the familiar sound making Akaashi’s heart sing in joy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t.” Bokuto gently pulled Akaashi’s head up and cupped the setter’s cheek as he pulled Akaashi into a soft kiss. When Bokuto pulled away a few seconds later, a small squeak of protest escaped Akaashi, making Bokuto grin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Later, okay? Right now, I think you have a team to go apologize to.” Akaashi groaned, burying his head back into Bokuto’s chest as he remembered what had happened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How much did you hear?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I walked in as you snapped at Onaga. He’s not too upset, don’t worry. He and the others filled me in on how you were, and Yachi-chan told me she saw you heading to the club room. You were so cold, ‘gaashee! I’m glad you weren’t my captain!” Bokuto teased gently as Akaashi’s cheeks flared up brightly and he groaned again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go apologize.” Akaashi made to pull away, but then blinked in surprise as Bokuto tightened his grip around Akaashi’s waist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bokuto-san?” Bokuto smiled, though this time, there was a glint in his eye as he leaned close, whispering softly in Akaashi’s ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Say my first name, and tell me just how much you missed me.” Akaashi didn’t know his blush could get any brighter, though he was pretty sure he was brighter than the sun at this point. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bokuto-san, I-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wrong one, ‘kaashi.” Akaashi swallowed, his grey-blue eyes looking up to meet Bokuto’s knowing, golden ones.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I missed you a lot, Koutaro.” Bokuto smiled warmly, pressing a kiss to Akaashi’s cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I missed you too, Keiji. More than I think I could ever say.” Akaashi blinked as his blush spread across the entirety of his face, which made Bokuto beam down at him. Groaning softly, Akaashi buried his face in Bokuto’s shirt as the former ace chuckled, fondly stroking Akaashi’s hair with one hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, come on now, ‘kaashi! I want to see Hinata-kun again!” Akaashi didn’t protest as Bokuto gently pulled away, tucking the setter’s right hand in his own securely as he eagerly began leading him back towards the gym. As they walked, Akaashi couldn’t quite remove the sheepish grin from his face, try as he might.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first years on both teams stared at Akaashi’s bright red face when the two returned to the gym, but for the first time in a while, Akaashi found that he didn’t quite care. The setter proceeded to apologize profusely to Onaga, who simply waved it off, clapping Akaashi’s back fondly with a knowing smirk that made Akaashi rub at the back of his neck shyly. And when Bokuto eagerly pulled him along to go chat with the Karasuno team, Akaashi contentedly followed him with a soft smile, perfectly happy to follow along with whatever Bokuto wanted to do, no matter how embarrassing it might be. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After all, Akaashi wasn’t lonely anymore.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: BokuAka makes me so happy ;-; I headcanon that Akaashi turns all sullen and moody when Bokuto isn’t around, and it’s like their roles reverse, in which only Bokuto can cure his mood. </p><p>Again, not sure when I’ll update this again, but I’ll do AsaNoya eventually!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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